§ Mr. Lyellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses have been sold in each of the new towns since such sales were first permitted; and what proportion of the council housing stock has been sold in each case.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergI presume that my hon. Friend is referring to dwellings owned and sold by new town development corporations and not those owned by local district councils. The figures in the table below relate to sales of new 151W town corporation dwellings since October 1970, from which time dates the first
A B Town Total sales Housing stock as at 30/9/79 A as percentage of B Aycliffe … … … … 972 5,700* 17 Basildon … … … … 5,301 17,800 30 Bracknell … … … … 1,505 8,800* 17 Central Lancashire … … 52 2,500 2 Corby … … … … 1,584 9,900* 16 Crawley … … … … 2,846 9,700* 29 Harlow … … … … 3,818 18,500* 21 Hatfield … … … … 666 3,600* 19 Hemel Hempstead … … 1,932 10,400 19 Milton Keynes … … … 649 10,450 6 Northampton … … … 213 6,000 4 Peterborough … … … 598 7,000 9 Peterlee … … … … 471 6,900* 7 Redditch … … … … 216 7,000 3 Runcorn … … … … 445 10,300 4 Skelmersdale … … … 558 8,950 6 Stevenage … … … … 5,345 13,700* 39 Telford … … … … 82 10,850 1 Warrington … … … 6 2,750 — Washington … … … 399 7,600 5 Welwyn … … … … 930 9,200 10 Total 28,588 187,600 15 *There figures relate to the approximate number of dwellings transferred to local authorities on 1 April 1978. There may have been further sales of such dwellings since then by the local authorities concerned.
§ Mr. Altonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the long-term financial effects of council house sales.
§ Mr. StanleyI refer the hon. Member to the answer that my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Vauxhall (Mr. Holland) on 23 October.—[Vol. 972, c. 142.]